Bathed in Blue
by Demon Kitty Girl
Summary: Bluestar is one of ThunderClan's greatest leaders. But what exactly was her past like? Who were her siblings? What were her parents like? What about friends? What's her story? It will soon be revealed... Rated T to be safe.
1. The Blue Warrior

Okay, before I start, I'd just like to make sure that everyone knows that this may not go along with what is mentioned about Bluestar's past in the books. However, I will stick in the thing with Oakheart, at least. So no complaining if that's your problem!

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 1: The Blue Warrior**

"Ha! Take that, you fox! Away from my territory, badger!" Bluekit hopped about with the other kits, her ears flat against her head, her amber eyes narrowed to tiny slits, taking the occasional pawswipe at the nearest of her friends as she yelled insults at the predator of her choice.

"Ow, Bluekit, that hurt!" whined Branchkit, Bluekit's brother. Branchkit was covered in dark brown fur with the occasional black spot, and as if that wasn't different enough from his siblings, he wasn't at all interested in adventure or loyalty or any of being a warrior. As Bluekit had once put it, "he's a helpless little mewling kit, caring only to keep his fur tidy." However, whether they liked it or not, all three siblings were helpless little mewling kits at the time. However, tomorrow, they would be apprentices, and soon after that, mighty warriors!

"I'm not Bluekit! I'm the mighty Blue Warrior, Bluefur! Now, hawk, fly away and leave my kits alone!" Bluekit tackled Branchkit, for a second only a flash of blue-gray against the green colors of the forest, but then her usual self, swatting Branchkit's face with her tiny paws. "Leave, now, before I claw your feathers out and leave you nothing but a small sparrow!"

Regalkit, the last of the three siblings, joined in with Bluekit, shrieking insults to the fierce hawk. Regalkit was the biggest of the kits and had the same blue-gray pelt as his sister. He also had the same attitude, enthusiastic and courageous. "Hawk, you will regret the day you flew onto Thunderclan's territory!" he snarled.

"Stop, you three." The kits' mother, Sunpelt, entered the nursery, a look of amusement on her face. "You're so small, a hawk could carry you off if he wanted to! And get off of poor Branchkit, he looks like he's had enough of this game. Come to think of it, you should all be in bed!"

"Awwww!" All three kits, even Branchkit, piled on top of their mother, pleading for only a little more time of their game. "Come on, just a little longer!"

Sunpelt laughed. "No, you should sleep now! You don't want to be tired the day of your apprenticeship, do you?"

That did it. The siblings curled up next to their mother, though all except Branchpaw were still full of energy. Bluekit could not hide her excitement. Yes, soon, she would be the great Blue Warrior, fighting for her clan, sending even the most powerful opponent running off in fear. Soon… and with that she drifted off to sleep.

_Yes, they will make great warriors,_ thought Sunpelt, _They have loyalty, they have courage… what else is there to need? Thank StarClan my kits are so wonderful! If only their father could have met them…_

Yes, that was Chapter 1. Kind of short, I know, I swear the next ones will be longer. Please rate!


	2. Bluepaw

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 2: Bluepaw**

"Bluekit, don't be a sleepy head! Don't say you've forgotten about our apprenticeship! Goldenstar has already called all of the cats up to the highrock! Come on, come on!" The kit awoke to her brother, Regalkit, staring over her and chattering excitedly.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten!" Bluekit lifted herself up, forgetting all thoughts of sleep. She pushed past her brother in an excited frenzy and stopped to wait beside the nursery, where her mother and Branchkit had also paused. Regalkit padded out to join them, grinning.

The three siblings looked up simultaneously as their Clan leader, whose golden-yellow pelt shone even brighter in the rising sun, began to speak. "As most of you know, we are gathering here to celebrate the apprenticeship of three of Sunpelt's kits." Goldenstar paused as many of the cats shouted "Congratulations!" to the kits' mother, who raised her head proudly.

"Regalkit, would you step up here? You too, Rosetail." Bluekit's heart gave an excited flutter as her brother strutted up to the highrock proudly. So Rosetail was his mentor… she had always seemed like a great warrior to her… a strong and powerful fighter but gentle at heart. Who would be Bluekit's mentor?

Once both cats had settled themselves, Goldenstar passed his tail over Regalkit's head in recognition. "From now on, this cat will be known as Regalpaw." Bluekit's brother beamed, not even trying to hide his joy. The leader turned to Rosetail. "Rosetail, you were taught by Gentleheart, a great warrior. I trust you will pass on the skills you have learned in hunting, fighting, and the warrior code to Regalpaw." Rosetail nodded and touched noses gently with Regalpaw before padding off of the highrock with him.

"Now… Bluekit, it is your turn to come here. Whitestorm…" Goldenstar nodded to the young warrior, who calmly stepped up to the highrock. For a second, Bluekit didn't think her paws would work, but before she knew it she was striding up to join the two toms already there.

In the moment before her leader began speaking again, Bluekit looked at her new mentor. Whitestorm was an abnormally young warrior who had proven himself in a large border fight with RiverClan by chasing off three warriors alone. He was powerful, Bluekit could tell, just by looking into his dark eyes. "From now on…" Bluekit tore her eyes off of her new mentor so that she could look up at Goldenstar instead. "…This cat shall be known as Bluepaw!" Bluekit's - no, Bluepaw's heart gave a great leap. She was on her first step to becoming a mighty warrior! Goldenstar's words to Whitestorm were muffled as his earlier words pounded in Bluepaw's ear. _Bluepaw… Bluepaw…_

With a jolt Bluepaw realized it was time to touch noses with her new mentor, and they walked off of the highrock together to join the crowd of cats before Goldenstar.

The ceremony was repeated to Branchkit, who became Branchpaw. His mentor turned out to be no other that Goldenstar himself! Bluepaw felt a pang of jealousy, but reminded herself that her own mentor was a noble warrior. She cast a glance over at Whitestorm, who was staring intently ahead. Before she could cast the thought out, she found herself thinking, _But he's no leader!_

Once all three cats had become apprentices, the throng of warriors, apprentices, and elders, began chanting the new apprentices' names. "Regalpaw! Bluepaw! Branchpaw! Regalpaw! Bluepaw! Branchpaw!"

The chant continued, getting louder each time it was repeated, until the elders grew tired of the constant yowling, and padded back to their den, and the other cats soon followed. Bluepaw felt somecat licking her ear affectionately and turned around to face her mother. "Bluepaw!" Sunpelt's eyes shone with pride and content. "Only an apprentice, why do I feel so proud? Just imagine what it will be like for me soon… when you're a warrior!" That comment made Bluepaw's fur prickle for excitement of what would come, what would come _soon…_ "But right now I think you should go greet your new mentor. Isn't that him there?" Sunpelt gestured with her tail and Bluepaw swung her head around to see Whitestorm quickly sharing tounges with Grassfoot, a young she-cat, in the process realizing that she was the only one left in the clearing.

Embarrassment made her suddenly shy as she padded up to Whitestorm. "Whitestorm, can we go out to the woods? I want to start training!"

"Of course." Whitestorm smiled at her and picked himself up from the forest floor. "I was planning to do that right now. You don't mind, Grassfoot?"

"Not at all! I know you need to train with your new apprentice." Grassfoot's pale, clean fur glistened, and she beamed up at Bluepaw and Whitestorm.

_She's obviously interested in him. Can't he tell?_ thought Bluepaw with a tinge of amusement as she glanced up at Whitestorm. But he was only beaming back obliviously. After a second the white warrior turned away and walked towards the forest, pausing to look back at Bluepaw.

"Well, we're going, aren't we?" Bluepaw nodded enthusiastically and followed after him, her tail shooting straight up. It was her first time to see the forest. What would await her there? Adventure? _Of course! What else?_ She smiled to herself and padded onwards.

Yep! Chapter 2! All of the names right now are made up, except for Bluepaw, Whitestorm, and Rosetail, just to remind you. Please review!


	3. The Forest

**Chapter 3: The Forest**

Bluepaw found herself surrounded by strange new scents, things she'd never smelled or seen before in the camp. Whitestorm was cheerily padding along in the forest in front of her. She noticed that he seemed much more comfortable and less shy here than he was back at the ceremony. Maybe it was from sharing tongues from Grassfoot, or maybe he was just shy around many cats at once? Bluepaw wasn't sure.

Once they were in a clearing, Whitestorm paused, sniffed the air once or twice, and nodded to himself. "Bluepaw," he said, "What do you smell here?"

Bluepaw stopped, lifting her nose to the sky. "I smell… cats… ThunderClan ones… and mice, but it's stale… and I think it's… vole?"

"Squirrel, actually. But pretty good for your first try." Bluepaw beamed at the praise. "Now," said Whitestorm, "Follow me."

Bluepaw was lead through the forest again. Whitestorm was going just a bit too fast for her, and she tripped over a fallen branch twice. But finally Whitestorm stopped, and without needing to be told, Bluepaw lifted her nose again. Her nose wrinkled at the disgusting scent. "Ew! What is that; badger?"

Whitestorm laughed. "No, badger isn't quite that bad. That is the Thunderpath." He led her farther, until they reached a strange place made of flat stone. Bluepaw edged closer to examine it, but as she did a strange monster, its pelt shining a strange red color, whizzed past. Bluepaw gave a yowl of surprise and jumped back, eyes wide with alarm.

"Don't worry. The monsters never leave the Thunderpath, so don't cross it and they can't hurt you." Whitestorm nodded toward the swampy area past the Thunderpath. "ShadowClan territory is over there."

"Shadow…Clan?" Bluepaw had heard of the other Clans, but she had never met any cats from them. She had always just assumed that they were completely different from ThunderClan's cats, and that they didn't usually cross each other. Then another story from one of the warriors that she had heard crossed her mind. "Ugh, we don't have to cross the Thunderpath to get to the gatherings, do we?"

Whitestorm shook his head. "No, but we do have to get pretty close…" Seeing Bluepaw stiffen at that comment, he added, "But don't worry. It's safe."

Suddenly Bluepaw heard something crashing through the leaves. "What…?" Still shaken from seeing the monster on the Thunderpath, she instinctively ran behind Whitestorm, not caring how cowardly it made her look.

But it was only Rosetail and Regalpaw. Bluepaw looked them over and saw that they looked exhausted, a strange look in both of their eyes. Regalpaw was even shaking. "Bluepaw, Whitestorm, come quickly!" exclaimed Rosetail, "RiverClan is attacking!"

Okay, so that wasn't the longest chapter I ever wrote, but it gets things done. Sorry it took so long to write, I kept getting sidetracked…


	4. Bluepaw's First Battle

**Chapter 4**

**Bluepaw's First Battle**

Bluepaw felt her heart beating quickly as she ran through the forest. A RiverClan attack? She had never even seen a real battle before, much less fight in one. She felt more terrified than she ever had before. She looked at Regalpaw and wondered if he felt the same way. _He must,_ she thought to herself, _After all, this is his first battle too._ But even knowing that, she had never felt more alone.

When they reached the camp, it already looked torn: the lichen covering the leader's den had been torn in several places, the warrior's den was nearly destroyed, and the fresh kill pile had been trampled on, making it look like a pile of crowfood. Whitestorm immediately jumped on a RiverClan she-cat attacking Steelheart, another ThunderClan warrior. Rosetail, too, charged into the fray, defending Ivythorn, the ThunderClan deputy. Bluepaw and Regalpaw could only stand outside the camp for a moment, shocked. It was worse than Bluepaw had ever imagined. "Bluepaw! Regalpaw!" Bluepaw whirled at the sound of her name and saw her mother running up with Branchpaw trailing behind.

"Mom!" exclaimed Bluepaw, "What--? What should we…?"

Sunpelt licked Bluepaw's face reassuringly. "RiverClan… ThunderClan have always had problems with them, fighting over the Sunningrocks. Looks like they're finally attacking the camp…" She looked around worriedly. "You are all apprentices now… but you have only barely been taught. I wonder if it's safe for you to fight."

"Sunpelt! We need your help!" Bluepaw's mother turned around at the mention of her name and saw Grassfoot and Ivythorn struggling with three RiverClan cats.

Sunpelt gave her three kits one last look. "Fight if you must… but please be safe." She said, then ran to help the other two warriors.

Branchpaw whimpered, stepping back. "I don't want to fight… I don't want to…"

"We have to, don't we?" said Regalpaw, the first thing he had said before arriving at camp. "We're apprentices now! We need to be loyal to ThunderClan!" He gave a half-hearted smile.

Bluepaw nodded. "You're right. Well… good luck." She expected her legs to somehow carry her to a place where she was needed, the way it seemed to with the warriors. Instead, she just stood there dumbly, trying to figure out through the chaos where she could go.

Suddenly Bluepaw was flat on her back, a RiverClan tom that looked only a bit older than her pinning her to the ground. His fur was a dark brown, and his blue eyes shone triumphantly. Bluepaw tried to force him away, but he was too strong. He swiped a paw, claws unsheathed, at her face, and she let out a cry of pain as she was cut. The pain made her forget all about loyalty and fighting, and she wriggled away, yelping. The tom advanced, but Whitestorm came from what seemed like out of nowhere and bit down hard into its fur, drawing blood.

"Oakpaw!" Just when Bluepaw thought that the young tom was going to run away, another RiverClan cat leapt on the scene. It was a tom, with a crooked jaw that twisted just enough to show sharp teeth, glinting in the light of the sun. The tom, who looked about Whitestorm's age, pinned Bluepaw's mentor to the ground. Oakpaw, the younger cat, ran away, looking terrified.

The older tom brought his claws down Whitestorm's unprotected belly, causing the white warrior to let out a cry of pain. Bluepaw shut her eyes, terrified for both her mentor and for herself. Suddenly, there was a loud call from across the camp. "RiverClan, retreat!"

Bluepaw looked around as the RiverClan cats, including the one who'd been fighting Whitestorm, reluctantly left the camp. It seemed like, outside of Bluepaw's own small battle, ThunderClan had been doing well. They must have been, to make RiverClan's leader surrender that quickly.

"Good job, Bluepaw!" Bluepaw looked down at her mentor, startled. He looked exhausted, as well as in pain.

"Whitestorm… Are you okay?"

"Fine. You did well."

Bluepaw shook her head sadly. "No I didn't! I probably would have been killed by that apprentice if you hadn't helped."

Whitestorm got to his feet shakily. "Still, it was your first battle. Finding the courage to fight is hard."

Before Bluepaw could reply, the medicine cat, Dovesong, came to Whitestorm's side. "You'll need to come to my den, Whitestorm, that's a pretty nasty wound." She paused to look over Bluepaw. "You look all right. I can get you some cobwebs for that cut later. Come on, now, Whitestorm…"

As the two cats padded away, Bluepaw lay on the ground, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was. The weight of all she had done fell upon her, and she closed her eyes, letting her dreams come to her…

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm getting them like crazy now! Yes, well… I'm pretty happy with this chapter. Please keep reviewing!


	5. Training

**Chapter Four: Training**

"Whitestorm, are you sure you're all right?" asked Bluepaw for about the fourth time anxiously. Her mentor, after a moon's worth of waiting, had been declared fit for warrior duties again by Dovesong a day ago, but Whitestorm still seemed shaky. The wound the RiverClan warrior had inflicted on him had apparently been serious.

"I'm fine, Bluepaw. How am I supposed to teach you if you're always worrying about me?" He swatted a paw at her head, which she dodged, laughing.

_Well, at least he's in a good mood! _She thought to herself. Her mentor was kind, if a little shy, and he was clearly more comfortable in the forest than even at camp. "All right…" she said, "So I smell vole… and fox, but it's stale."

"Very good." Whitestorm let a purr of satisfaction, "Glad to see that, after practically no training, you're still doing well. Now I'll teach you how to hunt." He lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Yes, that vole is near…"

Bluepaw watched in fascination as her mentor followed the scent to a bush, dropping into a hunting crouch. He crept ever closer silently, his eyes focused. Then, unexpectedly, he hurled himself onto the bush. A small creature scurried out of the bush in panic, but Whitestorm's unsheathed paw lashed out and the vole fell over, dead. Whitestorm lifted himself up and purred contentedly. "Now you try. Try to follow the scent of prey to another."

"I-I don't think I can!" exclaimed Bluepaw, "That seemed so… practiced! I could never even find the prey!"

"Sure you can!" Whitestorm mewed encouragingly, "Few cats ever catch anything on the first try, but you'll learn! First, just try to locate some prey…"

Reluctantly, the apprentice brought her nose up and tried to identify the smells. "I think… there's a mouse… by that tree?" She gestured with her tail.

"Yes, correct, now drop into the hunting crouch and advance… but slowly."

Bluepaw cautiously dropped into an awkward position, much different from Whitestorm's calm crouch. She brought her left paw forward, then shuffled the rest of her body along with it. No response from the mouse. She brought her right paw forward this time, and as she became about one-half of a fox-length from the tree, a mouse started and ran from its hiding place deep between two large roots. Bluepaw yowled in surprised and sprang after the creature, swiping her claws at it. It scampered away, and the apprentice was left with only dirt in her claws. She gave a sigh.

"Don't worry. That was pretty good!" meowed Whitestorm, brushing her ears with his tail. "You need to work on that hunting crouch though, don't bring your head quite as far down…"

"Whitestorm?" asked Bluepaw tentatively.

"Hmm?" He paused from his demonstration and looked at her.

"Well, that warrior you fought, with the crooked jaw… are they all like that? All of the RiverClan warriors? I… I didn't really pay attention to anything besides our own fight. I didn't really see the other warriors. That warrior… he scared me! He probably would have killed me if he could do that to you!" Bluepaw blurted out suddenly, without even pausing for breath. Seeing Whitestorm get hurt… imagining if it had been her… it had been bothering her, plaguing her dreams ever since the battle.

Whitestorm frowned. "Crookedfang is a very powerful and ruthless warrior. Not all are like him, no. And Bluepaw, you shouldn't be afraid. You'd never be fighting anyone alone, that's what Clans are for! And he would never kill you, on purpose anyways. Not unless he had to."

"Hmm…" Bluepaw shook her head, confused. What Whitestorm said made sense, but she just couldn't get that fear out of her mind.

"And besides," continued Whitestorm, "You held up well against that apprentice. You'll get better as you are trained more. Soon I bet you'll be able to chase even Crookedfang off in a fight! Come on, let's get back to camp…"

As Whitestorm walked off, Bluepaw felt even more confusion enter her mind at the mention of the RiverClan apprentice. He didn't scare her at all. In fact, though she should regard him as an enemy, she always seemed to think of him as kind. Which was very strange, considering the only time she had seen him was in a battle—fighting her. But she couldn't help wanting to meet him, talk to him… what was happening to her?

Author's note: And already she's falling in love with Oakpaw! Yep.. finally I get in Chapter 5. I swear Chapter 6 is coming soon!


	6. Dream

**Chapter 6**

**Dream**

Regalpaw was mewing excitedly to his brother as Bluepaw padded towards the apprentices' den at nightfall. "Hello," she meowed, "What is it?"

"It's the gathering! It's coming soon! And Rosetail says that we'll probably be going! And of course you will, Branchpaw, being the lucky leader's apprentice and all…" Regalpaw tilted his head to look at Bluepaw. "Not sure about you. You should ask Whitestorm."

"Gathering…?" Bluepaw mewed, confused. She vaguely remembered some cats leaving once every moon, but Sunpelt had never said where they were going. "What's that?"

Regalpaw groaned. "Oh, don't you know _anything_, Bluepaw? Rosetail told me while we were at the forest today. The gathering is when all four clans meet at Fourtrees—ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan." Bluepaw knew what the four clans were, but she didn't interrupt her brother. "And the cats just… talk. You learn about the news from the other clans. And then the leaders call a meeting and they talk about new warriors and apprentices and battles and... stuff. Sounds great!" He let out a purr of excitement.

Branchpaw smiled slightly. "Yes, Goldenstar mentioned it to me while we were training. I almost caught a finch today!"

"I almost caught a mouse…" purred Bluepaw. "Have you caught any yet?"

Both of her brothers shook their heads, then Branchpaw announced, "I'm going to bed, I'll be getting up early for training tomorrow…"

Regalpaw nodded, mewing, "Good idea," and Bluepaw, alone now, entered to apprentices' den to rest as well. She fell into a deep sleep easily, exhausted from the events of the day. And as she did, she found herself walking on the edge of a cliff, with a fierce river running below…

ooo

"Bluepaw! Bluepaw!" The young she-cat twisted her head in all directions, trying to locate the source of the call. It seemed to be coming from all around her, the voice of a tom, a little old, probably old enough to be a warrior.

"Where are you?! Who are you?!" She finally cried, her wail cutting into the night, drowning out the roar of the river underneath. She recognized ThunderClan scent, but this was no cat she'd ever met.

Suddenly she felt a wind rush past her, and she was knocked to the side, dangerously close to the cliff. She yowled in surprise, and her eyes rolled one way and then another, looking for her attacker. Then a cat seemed to materialize from thin air, formed out of the soil underpaw. The scent of Riverclan filled the air. He had a gray pelt, with fierce yellow eyes. His lower jaw hung crooked, bent in a battle. _Crookedfang!_ Bluepaw attempted to run, to escape his angry gaze, but she couldn't move. Then he transformed into another cat, a she-cat Bluepaw didn't recognize. She was a tortoiseshell, and looked very wise. Bluepaw was no longer afraid as the mysterious she-cat's kind gaze slid over her. This cat had the scent of ThunderClan, much more comforting than the terrifying stench of Crookedfang. "Who…?" mewed Bluepaw, staring in awe at the majestic tortoiseshell she-cat.

Another cat appeared, and Bluepaw recognized his scent as the one she had first smelled. He had Bluepaw's own bluish-grayish fur, and a sense of bravery and confidence seemed to radiate from him. "Hello Bluepaw, I am Oceanwave," he announced, his voice coming from all sides, "I have come from StarClan to show you the way past your fear of the RiverClan warriors." He gestured with his tail to the she-cat, still sitting silently on the grass. "This cat will help you. She is not with you yet, but once she comes, you must trust in her power."

Oceanwave and the she-cat began to fade, but Bluepaw yowled, "Wait! I don't understand! Are you from StarClan?! Oceanwave!"

Oceanwave's voice resonated from all directions one more time: "Bluepaw, your destiny is a great one. Always trust in StarClan."

Bluepaw yowled for him to come back again, but no answer came from the stars. She waited, Oceanwave's message making her head spin, until she heard voices coming from far away. "Oceanwave?" she yowled hopefully, but they were a she-cat's. She could only barely make them out…

ooo

"Maplewind is having her kits! Where is Dovesong?" A light-colored she-cat was yowling helplessly.

Bluepaw recognized her mother's voice. "Sunpelt! Maplewind…?" She remembered the cheerful queen from the nursery.

"Ah! Bluepaw! Good! You're awake! Go search the forest for Dovesong, we need her!" Sunpelt mewed urgently.

Bluepaw nodded, but paused mid-step and looked back. "Wait, Sunpelt, I just have one question… Who… Who is Oceanwave?"

Sunpelt stopped, her shoulders tensed. "Oceanwave was your father." She mewed tightly.

Bluepaw ran on, taking a few seconds to take in the answer. Oceanwave? Her father? But who was the she-cat?


	7. Spottedkit

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 7: Spottedkit**

Bluepaw ran through ThunderClan's forest in a rush, half of her mind set on finding Dovesong and the other half wondering about Oceanwave. She barely even noticed when a panicked mouse scampered out of her way and into a bush. "Dovesong!" she called.

"Bluepaw? What's wrong?" The apprentice looked to the direction that she heard the voice from joyfully, expecting to see Dovesong. Instead, Grassfoot was there, eyes alert, with her apprentice, Willowpaw, behind her.

"It—it's Maplewind. Her kits… I'm looking for Dovesong," explained Bluepaw.

Grassfoot nodded and bounded past Bluepaw in a flash. "I'll help then. You and Willowpaw, go search by the WindClan border. I'll be by the RiverClan border."

"All right!" yowled Bluepaw at the swift warrior, who was already disappearing into the forest. She turned to Willowpaw, a kind she-cat that she knew to be very shy and nervous. "We should get going."

Willowpaw nodded her agreement and the two apprentices started off towards the WindClan border. Along the way, Bluepaw noticed two voles and a mouse scurry out of their path, but she didn't take the time to stop and hunt them. By the time they reached their destination, Bluepaw was so focused on running that she passed the border, and Willowpaw had to call her name to stop her. Slightly embarrassed, Bluepaw scurried back to ThunderClan territory and lifted her nose to check for Dovesong's scent. The smell of prey was overpowering—it was Greenleaf, after all—but through the tempting scents of mouse and rabbit was another, sweeter one.

"Dovesong!" Bluepaw yowled in victory, as if she had just chased off the whole of ShadowClan. However, Willowpaw had already noticed and had begun running in the direction of the medicine cat's smell. Surprised, Bluepaw followed. For such a quiet cat, Willowpaw did have a seemingly endless supply of energy!

Willowpaw paused suddenly, nearly sending Bluepaw barreling into her. Luckily, the gray cat was able to stop in time, even if it was rather ungraceful. A familiar cloud-white face peered out of the undergrowth a tail-length from the two apprentices. "Goodness!" cried Dovesong, "Do I smell that much like a mouse? Sorry to disappoint you, but it's only me in here, me and some burdock root… Should you even be here without a warrior? Perhaps you should—"

"Dovesong," interrupted Bluepaw, "Maplewind needs you. You have to get back to camp!"

"Maplewind? Oh, great StarClan!" Without another word the rather talkative medicine cat scampered off in the direction of the camp. She paused once, looking back. "Thank you for warning me, by the way!" she called.

Once Dovesong had run out of sight, Bluepaw collapsed onto the comforting ground. "I'm exhausted!" she announced. "You run really fast, Willowpaw!"

The pale gray apprentice blushed, looking away. "Thanks…" she murmured quietly, but then her eyes blazed again. "We should probably go find my mentor and tell her that we found Dovesong. She'll still be looking…"

Bluepaw winced at the thought of running all the way back at Willowpaw's pace, but didn't want to seem weak. "All right!" she replied, "She's at the RiverClan border, right?" Eager to start first this time, Bluepaw leaped up and began running.

"Bluepaw!" yowled Willowpaw.

"What? Too fast for you?" mewed Bluepaw playfully.

"No… RiverClan is _this _way!"

"Eh?" Bluepaw looked back. Willowpaw gestured with her tail to the opposite direction of the one she was running in. "Oh…" she mewed, nodding as she remembered her tour of the forest with Whitestorm.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"She should be around here!" mewed Bluepaw, frustrated, as she and Willowpaw examined the RiverClan border.

"I know. It's strange…" Suddenly Willowpaw's whiskers twitched, and she pointed her nose towards the sky. "Do you smell that? That… awful smell?" She wrinkled her nose, wincing.

Bluepaw scented the air too. For a moment she smelled nothing but the usual scents, but then… The bitter smell made her think of the battle, of the terror she felt as she faced Crookedfang and Oakpaw. There was another smell too, mixed up in it. A vaguely familiar one… "Grassfoot!" exclaimed Willowpaw, her eyes widening in terror. Her mentor was obviously in trouble.

The two apprentices followed the scent until they reached a place where three large stones crossed the river. Bluepaw remembered Whitestorm mentioning that RiverClan and ThunderClan cats used them to cross between the territories, for whatever reason they might have to. The river flowed at its usual pace, its constant bubbling noise throbbing inside of Bluepaw and Willowpaw's heads. But it wasn't the river they cared about.

Ahead of them lay Grassfoot, blood oozing out of two wounds—one on her shoulder and another deep in the warrior's belly. Willowpaw wordlessly ran up to the side of her mentor, terrified. Bluepaw followed, noticing another smell around Grassfoot—RiverClan! Her eyes narrowed angrily.

"Grassfoot!" mewed Willowpaw, as if calling her mentor's name would help her. "Grassfoot! Grassfoot!"

"Willowpaw…" murmured the warrior, "It was a warrior… RiverClan…"

"RiverClan! I'll rip their fur out!" spat Bluepaw. She had only met Grassfoot once, when she and her brothers were still in the nursery, but she was still her Clanmate. And she meant so much to Willowpaw—and Whitestorm.

Grassfoot's eyes widened suddenly, and the whispered a name. "Spottedkit…" With that, she went limp.

"Grassfoot! No!" yowled Willowpaw, tears forming in her eyes. Her tail hung limp as she lowered her head to nudge her mentor. "We'll destroy RiverClan, Grassfoot!" she snarled, her sorrow turning into rage, "I'll tear every one of them apart! They'll never hurt another ThunderClan cat! Never!" Her jaws opened in one long yowl that seemed to echo across the sky.

Bluepaw hung her head sadly. The name Grassfoot has uttered replayed again in her mind… Spottedkit? Who was that?

**Author's note: **Aww, poor Grassfoot! Did anyone notice her apprentice—Willowpaw.. also known as Willowpelt, Whitestorm's future mate? Heh… Sorry this took so long, I was procrastinating. ;;--


	8. A Cat of Destiny?

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 8: A Cat of Destiny?**

Bluepaw sighed sadly as her mentor silently touched his nose to the pelt of the dead cat before him. Willowpaw was next to him, her usually energetic eyes ashen. Dovesong hung her head as she padded up. "I can't believe I didn't notice it as I came back to camp…" she mewed, "My nose is trained to pick that up! I'm a medicine cat, for StarClan's sake!"

Neither Whitestorm or Willowpaw said anything, still motionless. However, they all turned their heads as a brown tom ran up to them. "Grassfoot!" he yelled automatically, rushing towards the dead warrior. Like Whitestorm, he touched his nose to her fur, muttering something under his breath so quietly that Bluepaw couldn't hear. The tom looked so much like Grassfoot that Bluepaw assumed he must be her brother, and that was confirmed when Whitestorm turned to his apprentice and quietly whispered, "Woodtail, her littermate," gesturing with his tail to the grief-stricken cat. They were his first words since he had seen Grassfoot's body being dragged back to camp by Bluepaw and Willowpaw.

"Excuse me…" for the third time, a cat padded up to where they were sitting. She was a beautiful tortoiseshell with kind blue eyes. She had just set one tiny kit down, and a gray tom behind her was carrying another. "I'm Maplewind, and this is Icewhisker, my mate." She mewed, nodding to Bluepaw, who hadn't seen either of them before.

"Do you or your kits need something, Maplewind?" asked Dovesong, looking worried.

"No, not at all. We're fine. But…" she looked sadly at Grassfoot's body. "I… feel horrible that she died while helping me… And so I'd like to name this kit Grasskit." She nudged the kit sitting by her paw with her nose.

Dovesong nodded, and Willowpaw and Whitestorm both looked gratefully at the queen. Woodtail was still motionless, his eyes closed, but his whiskers twitched, as if he was satisfied. Remembering the name Grassfoot had uttered before her death, Bluepaw asked, "What's the other kit's name going to be?" though it seemed doubtful—the other kit, like his father, was gray. There wasn't a single spot on him! Still… Bluepaw eyed the other kit, Grasskit. It was definitely spotted, resembling its mother.

Maplewind looked surprised at the question. "Um… I'm not sure." She mewed uncertainly. "Perhaps…" she took a closer look at the tiny kit in its father's jaws. "Mousekit?"

Bluepaw let out the breath she was holding in. Then… had the name meant nothing? The apprentice took a closer look at Grasskit. She definitely had the makings of a cat named Spottedkit… Suddenly she drew backwards, recognizing where she had seen the kit before, even though it had only just been born. In her dream! The kind-looking she-cat that Oceanwave had shown her… She had been obviously much older, but her fur, her ears, even her tiny paws… they were all the same!

Maplewind let out a paw, and gently led the kit closer to her, looking alarmed. "What is it?!" she mewed.

"I saw her… in a dream… that one kit…" Bluepaw's words were jumbled, but she was positive of one thing now—that kit was definitely who Grassfoot was talking about when she said "Spottedkit." "Her name isn't Grasskit. It's Spottedkit." The apprentice finally mewed, looking up at Maplewind and Icewhisker.

"What?" Icewhisker took a step forwards and put Mousekit down.

Bluepaw shook her head, trying to think of a way to explain it. "It was the last thing Grassfoot said. 'Spottedkit.' I think somehow she knew this kit's name." She looked expectantly up at the warrior and the queen, then turned to Willowpaw. "Right?" she called.

"Um… yes. That's what I heard too…" mewed Willowpaw quietly, looking just as bewildered as Maplewind and Icewhisker.

"Well, I don't know…" Maplewind relied, nudging her kit closer to her as if Bluepaw might hurt it.

"No," Woodtail, finally looking up, padded over to join Bluepaw. "If you want to name you kit for my sister, I think you should listen to this apprentice. The name obviously meant something to her for her to say it." He hissed, probably sounding fiercer than he had intended.

"…All right." Maplewind said finally, after a long pause. "Her name is Spottedkit." She looked back to Icewhisker, and he nodded. "If that's what Grassfoot wanted."

Suddenly there was a yowl from the Highrock. With a jolt Bluepaw realized that tonight was the night of the Gathering. Whitestorm, though he took a last sad look at Grassfoot, as if expecting her to call him back, padded forward, nudging Bluepaw forward with his tail. She followed, though she couldn't think of worse conditions to go to a Gathering in. Spottedkit… she had appeared in Bluepaw's dreams, and was the last name Grassfoot had uttered before joining StarClan. Was she a cat of destiny?

**End of Chapter 8!**

**Author's note: **Aww… still so sad. Anyways, I'm really getting into this! Can't wait to keep going! So you can expect the chapters to come a bit faster now! Hurrah! …Though they'll probably stay at this length. I think it's a good length…


	9. The Gathering

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 9: The Gathering**

Almost mindlessly, Bluepaw padded after Goldenstar and the crowd of cats following him. She was surprised to see Whitestorm catch up to her after casting one last pained glance back at Grassfoot. "Are you sure… you'll be all right coming?" she asked him quietly.

"Of course I will! No need to treat me like a frightened kit!" he snapped back, then, sighing, murmured in a gentler voice. "I'll be fine. I can stand vigil for Grassfoot with Woodtail and Willowpaw once we've returned."

For a second there was only silence between them, then a cheery voice called, "Hey, Bluepaw! So you are coming!" Bluepaw looked to her left to see Regalpaw walking up to her, his excitement clearly visible. However, before he reached her, Rosetail ran in front of him and mewed something quietly in his ear. Bluepaw heard him mutter "Oh…" faintly, then turn back, looking at Whitestorm with an expression of pity on his face. She knew Rosetail had told him about Grassfoot.

_This isn't how I expected my first Gathering to go at all, and we're not even halfway to Fourtrees yet! _Bluepaw though miserably.

Suddenly the entire Clan paused in their journey. Bluepaw looked up and saw the eerily dark Thunderpath, a monster approaching them at a high speed. For one second it seemed as if the monster would collide with Goldenstar and Branchpaw, at the head of the group, and Bluepaw let out a yowl of fear, but then it turned, following the Thunderpath, and Bluepaw felt herself blushing. Her embarrassment only increased as she saw that RiverClan was journeying on the other side of the Thunderpath, and that some of the cats, alarmed, were staring directly at her. Then, with a wordless yowl, Goldenstar started across the Thunderpath, and the other cats followed. Branchpaw looked so unconcerned as he crossed that Bluepaw felt a sure of jealousy at his ease. When it came time for her and Whitestorm to cross, Bluepaw found herself moving slowly, the hard surface underpaw making it hard to run like the other cats. By the time Whitestorm had reached the other side, Bluepaw was only halfway across. "Bluepaw! Hurry!" he yowled.

Bluepaw was so embarrassed and nervous that she didn't notice until the last minute the bright light illuminating her useless attempts at crossing. It wasn't even until the monster's shrill cry did she turn around. The next moment was a blur. Regalpaw yowled "Bluepaw!" but the apprentice couldn't move, frozen by fear as she gazed into the glowing eyes of the monster. Then, in a flash of brown fur, she felt herself being dragged out of the way and the shrill cries faded into only faint sounds. Gasping, she lay on the side of the Thunderpath, her rescuer underneath her. She quickly moved off of the young cat and looked down at him, expecting to see Regalpaw or even lazy Branchpaw, but the cat was none other than Oakpaw, the apprentice who had attacked her at the battle. She could recognize his confident face anywhere.

"Bluepaw!" Bluepaw turned back to see Whitestorm rushing up to her. "Are you okay?"

Bluepaw nodded dumbly, then turned back to Oakpaw, who was just pulling himself up. Whitestorm followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes at the apprentice. "What are _you _doing here?" he snarled at him.

"RiverClan's just over there, if you didn't notice. It's called a Gathering." growled Oakpaw back, gesturing with his tail towards his Clan. "And I just saved your apprentice's life. Which is more than I can say for you!"

Whitestorm's fur bristled, and he was about to shoot a reply back when Crookedfang padded up to them. "Whitestorm, I would be kinder to my apprentice, considering what he just did for ThunderClan. After all, RiverClan doesn't have much reason to help ThunderClan. If it was me, personally, I wouldn't have moved a paw for you!"

"Bluepaw! Whitestorm!" all four cats turned around at the sound of Goldenstar's voice. "We need to move to get to the Gathering in time!" He turned to Oakpaw. "Thank you for helping Bluepaw."

Oakpaw nodded to him, then Crookedfang led him away and back to the RiverClan cats, casting his angry glare back at Whitestorm one last time. Whitestorm let out a hiss, and Bluepaw knew he was thinking of the RiverClan cat that killed Grassfoot.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After only a little more walking, the Clan reached Fourtrees. WindClan and ShadowClan were already there, and RiverClan seemed to be arriving at the same time as ThunderClan. Goldenstar ran up to the other leaders, and Bluepaw, having never seen so many cats in one place, just followed Whitestorm to where he met up with two WindClan warriors in a daze. "Hello, Whitestorm!" mewed one, a black-and-white tom. "I see you have an apprentice with you?"

"Hello, Tallstripe. This is Bluepaw." Whitestorm nudged the suddenly-timid apprentice forwards. "Um… h-hello." She managed to stammer.

"Is it your first Gathering?" questioned Tallstripe, seeing her nervousness, and Bluepaw nodded. "Well, don't worry," he mewed, "You'll get used to them!"

Bluepaw smiled slightly. She liked the friendly tom. "So, Whitestorm, has RiverClan been giving you trouble?" piped up the other warrior, a gray she-cat.

Whitestorm's gaze faltered for a second, and he replied: "Yes. They're _definitely_ looking for trouble."

"Ah, well that's too bad," replied the she-cat, her tail lashing back and forth. "Badgerstar has always been aggressive. I hear he appointed Crookedfang as his new deputy, so it seems we won't be getting a break even after Badgerstar joins StarClan!"

"Wait a minute," mewed Whitestorm, "New deputy? What happened to Brownstripe?"

"You didn't hear? It seems she was killed while out hunting. By another cat!"

Bluepaw felt a prickle of unease. It seemed so similar to Grassfoot's death… However, a voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Bluepaw!" it hissed quietly, "Bluepaw!" The apprentice whirled around and saw Oakpaw beckoning to her with his tail. _What does he want?_ She thought irritably.

Bluepaw looked to Whitestorm to see if he had noticed the RiverClan apprentice, but he was now engaged in conversation with Tallstripe and the she-cat. "Bluepaw!" called Oakpaw again. Unable to resist her curiosity, Bluepaw padded towards him. "Great StarClan, are you deaf?!" Oakpaw whined as soon as she reached him. "It feels like I've been calling you for moons!"

Bluepaw couldn't help but let her whiskers twitch in amusement, but she snarled, rather sharper than she had intended, "What is it?!"

"It was just… I wanted to apologize for the battle. I wanted to back at the Thunderpath, but I didn't get a chance!"

_Apologize? _thought Bluepaw, confused. _We're in different Clans! Enemy Clans, even! Doesn't he know that enemy Clans don't apologize for battles?! _She was about to tell him so, but before she could there was a yowl from the four great oaks. Both apprentices whipped around to see that Badgerstar had begun the meeting. He nodded to the crowd of cats before him, but without even a glance back at the other three leaders, began to announce RiverClan's news. "Graypool has gone to the nursery for her first litter of kits, and Smokepaw has become Smokestorm." He started, rather casually. However, before long, his eyes gained an unsettling gleam and he mewed, "Our deputy, Brownstripe, is dead." Confused and upset mews rippled through the throng of cats, warriors of all Clans yowling questions.

"How did she die?"

"Was it an illness?"

"Or was it a badger of fox?"

Badgerstar let out a snarl, and the cats grew silent quickly. "She _died_," he called, emphasizing the word "died," "At another cat's claws! A cat of ThunderClan!"

"What?!" Bluepaw heard Whitestorm yowl, "No ThunderClan warrior would do that!"

"Hmph!" snarled a RiverClan warrior next to him, "I was there! I'll lead you to where she was and you can try to tell me you don't smell ThunderClan!"

Bluepaw looked to Oakpaw, and she must have looked accusing, because he mewed, "I didn't know about this, Bluepaw, I swear! Badgerstar must have been saving it for the Gathering! And… and I know you didn't do it!" His last plea surprised Bluepaw—he didn't even know her that well! How was he so sure?

"Enough!" roared a different voice. Bluepaw and Oakpaw both looked back at the center of the clearing to see Goldenstar stepping forward. "Badgerstar, I can assure you that no ThunderClan warriors would harm Brownstripe." He narrowed his eyes at the Riverclan leader.

"Well, obviously you don't know your warriors, then, Goldenstar, for the reek of your Clan could have been recognized by even a kit." replied Badgerstar coolly.

Goldenstar frowned and emitted a low growl, but rather than resuming the argument, turned to the crowd of cats before him and mewed, "One of our warriors, Grassfoot, was murdered yesterday… by a RiverClan warrior." He didn't say any more, just turned back to Badgerstar and glared.

Bluepaw's eyes widened. Was this going to turn into another battle, even though there was a truce? She watched helplessly as ThunderClan cats turned against RiverClan warriors, their claws unsheathed…

**Author's note: **Ooh, major cliffie! I'm mean! Just review, and the next chapter will come soon!


	10. StarClan's Fury

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 10: StarClan's Fury**

Whitestorm was the first to attack. With a shriek of fury, he jumped on the RiverClan warrior in front of him, clawing at his flank. For one shocked moment the other cats just stared at the two battling warriors, then they all seemed to leap at once. The ThunderClan cats attacked the RiverClan cats, the RiverClan cats attacked the ThunderClan cats, and the ShadowClan and WindClan cats fled in one chaotic mass, terrified. "No!!" snarled Raggedstar, the ShadowClan leader, "You know about the truce!! StarClan will punish us for this!!"

However, the warring cats, even Badgerstar and Goldenstar, didn't pay any attention to him. They had leapt at one another, snarling, and seemed to be blinded by their own anger. Bluepaw searched helplessly for her brothers as Oakpaw backed up worriedly, muttering something under his breath. Branchpaw was assisting his mentor, attempting to swipe at Badgerstar, but Regalpaw was nowhere to be seen. "Regalpaw! Regalpaw!" called Bluepaw, but it was no use. The cat had simply disappeared.

Suddenly a heavy object pinned her to the ground, and Bluepaw let out a surprised yowl and looked up just in time to see Crookedfang staring down at her. His icy gaze terrified her, and, forgetting all that she had been taught: that she had to be a warrior, that she had to be courageous, that she had to be loyal, everything, she let out another frightened wail and attempted to escape form Crookedfang's grasp. The RiverClan cat wasn't about to go against the warrior code, so he let the apprentice go and watched coolly as she ran away, into the undergrowth.

As soon as she felt her fear melting away, Bluepaw stopped, feeling foolish, and went back to watch the battle from behind a bush. Oakpaw was saying something to Crookedfang worriedly, but Crookedfang seemed to just dismiss it and leapt back into the fray, signaling with his tail for Oakpaw to follow him. Suddenly a voice coming from behind Bluepaw mewed her name, and the apprentice whipped around in fear. However, it was only Regalpaw. "Regalpaw!" exclaimed Bluepaw, "What are you doing here?!"

"Me?!" replied the gray apprentice incredulously, "I'm looking for Rosetail! She's not anywhere around here, and I'm worried… What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be fighting?"

"I-I tried, but Crookedfang…"

"Who?"

"A Riverclan warrior. He challenged me, and… I just felt terrified. I fled from him, and here I am now!"

"Oh, yes!" mewed Regalpaw, tilting his head in thought, "That prickly old furball that got into a bit of an argument with Whitestorm! I remember him!"

Bluepaw turned around, sighing. "Should I help you search for Rosetail, Regalpaw? I… don't think I can go back out there."

"What? Oh, her. Yeah… that was just an excuse for _my own _hiding. I just didn't want you to think I was lazy if you were hiding for some noble reason!"

"Regalpaw! You mouse-brain!"

"Look, don't insult me!" hissed Regalpaw, "You're just as scared as I am! I can see it in your eyes! Now… I'll go back if you go back. Deal?"

Bluepaw gave her brother a glance before turning back towards Fourtrees and replying, "Deal."

"All right—go!" yowled Regalpaw and sped onto the battlefield, tackling the first RiverClan cat he saw.

Bluepaw was a bit more hesitant, but in the end, she, too, ran blindly into the fray and tackled the first cat she saw. "B-Bluepaw?!" mewed the cat, surprised, and Bluepaw looked down to see Oakpaw beneath her.

"O-Oakpaw…" mewed Bluepaw, contemplating whether to go on attacking him or not. _This is mouse-brained!_ thought the ThunderClan apprentice, _We aren't even very good friends! Where's your loyalty, Bluepaw? He's in an enemy Clan! Attack him! _But still, she found that she couldn't do it. The RiverClan apprentice under her was only staring back up at her, not making any attempt to escape from her grasp.

Bluepaw didn't get a chance to make the choice, for another RiverClan apprentice tackled her and wrestled her to the ground. Before Bluepaw could even react, the apprentice had slashed her across the face with sharp claws, and she felt a stinging pain. She let out a yowl of fury and pain, and bit the apprentice's neck. The apprentice looked ready to claw her fur out, but then Oakpaw rushed next to him and yowled, "Loudpaw!"

Loudpaw looked back at his Clanmate, confused. Oakpaw continued, "Leave Bluepaw…" then added, for Loudpaw didn't seem convinced, "She's not much danger to RiverClan compared to the warriors. There's two of us now, so we can take them easily."

Loudpaw gave a snort. "Not much danger? From what I see, Oakpaw, you were about to be shredded!"

Oakpaw looked embarrassed, but then mewed, "Come on. Let's go." and dragged the brown apprentice with him as they padded off.

For a second Bluepaw just sat there, shocked. Had Oakpaw just stopped his Clanmate from attacking her—an enemy cat?! However, her thoughts were interrupted as a roar sounded from Fourtrees. At first, as Bluepaw's gaze flew to the four trees, she thought that it must not be a simple cat that made such a fearsome roar. _It must be a LionClan cat, descended from StarClan to stop the battle… _she thought. However, it wasn't a lion, but Goldenstar, his right ear torn and blood dripping from a wound on his left side. His eyes were filled with sorrow. "Cats of both RiverClan and ThunderClan… we have all made a grave mistake. In our rage, we have broken the sacred truce—ordered by StarClan…" The tom paused ominously and Bluepaw cast a glance at the sky, the moon covered by dark clouds and the sound of thunder roaring in the distance. "…I don't know if any warriors have been lost on either side, but we can't continue this until some are. I am sorry that, well… your own leaders started this."

Bluepaw let out a sigh, relieved that Goldenstar had stopped the battle. But before she could pull herself up, Badgerstar snapped, "Speak for yourself, Goldenstar! I won't stop until you admit to killing Brownstripe!"

"Badgerstar, that's mouse-brained!" It wasn't Goldenstar that spoke this time, but Crookedfang, Badgerstar's own deputy. "This has nothing to do with RiverClan and ThunderClan. The point is that we've broken the warrior code! We have to stop now!" His words echoed across the clearing, and many cats began muttering to one another fearfully.

Badgerstar took a step forwards and snarled at his deputy, but Crookedfang didn't back down. Finally, the RiverClan leader mewed, "Fine. Leave. But Goldenstar… this isn't over."

The walk back to ThunderClan territory was fairly uneventful. An eerie silence clung to the entire Clan, and Bluepaw swore she could hear the steady heartbeat of Whitestorm beside her. Many of the cats were licking their wounds or casting a glance to their friends and family to see how badly they had been injured. Only one sentence was spoken, and it was by usually-quiet Branchpaw, ahead with Goldenstar: "We'll be facing Starclan's fury for that." His words hung ominously over the entire Clan.


	11. Goodbyes

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 11: Goodbyes**

Bluepaw was awoken from her sleep by a cat nudging her awake. She smelled a familiar scent, and it was definitely that of ThunderClan, but for some reason she wasn't able to figure out exactly which cat it was. She opened her eyes tentatively, and, shocked, realized that the stars were still shining. "Great StarClan, what is it?!" she grumbled, pulling herself upwards. The cat that had awakened her seemed no where to be seen… until she noticed a rustling in the brambles to the left. "Hey!" she snarled. If some cat was going to shake her awake and then run away, she at least wanted to know who it was and why in StarClan's name they had done it. Narrowing her eyes, the gray cat bounded after the mysterious visitor, her legs moving automatically as she tried to shake off her exhaustion.

The chase went on for, as it seemed to Bluepaw, at least a day. However, when she looked up at the sky, the stars were still shining confidently. The cat that had woken her ran just ahead, but not close enough for her to make out who it was. Bluepaw had been running for this long, she wanted to at least finish the chase. However, as she noticed, she didn't feel tired at all. After all this time, she still felt exhilarated, as if she had only just started.

Suddenly Bluepaw tripped over a root, and fell on the ground, gasping. It was only then that her exhaustion caught up with her. She couldn't move a single muscle; she couldn't even move her whiskers. Her eyes, half-shut, only saw a tom with fur the color of bracken. "Tired, Bluepaw?" he taunted.

"O-Oakpaw?!" Bluepaw's eyes snapped open again, and she felt, for some reason she wasn't sure of, what felt like a leap in her heart. She remembered, in the battle, how he had stopped Loudpaw from attacking her. Then she was mostly shocked, and a little angry that he didn't think she could handle herself. (Not that she could, really. She had been in two battles and had been unsuccessful in both.) But, now, as she looked up at him, it seemed really sweet. Not sweet like the taste of berries, but sweet in the sense that those moonstruck she-cat apprentices would fantasize about. She had never been one herself, but now…

The RiverClan apprentice grinned and touched her nose. "You'll win next time." He replied, his voice cheery. Bluepaw found herself grinning like, well, one of those moonstruck she-cats!

Suddenly the face of Oakpaw changed to a much different face, a light-gray one. "Oceanwave!" she exclaimed, recognizing the cat from her last dream, "Mother told me! You're—"

"Shush," replied the tom, and Bluepaw realized with a jolt that he was angry. His eyes blazed into hers, and Bluepaw shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I lived for twenty-one moons and never witnessed the warrior code being broken, except for by those with truly evil hearts. And now, my own daughter falls in love with a RiverClan cat!"

"I am not!" protested Bluepaw, "I've become friends with Oakpaw—I think—but I… I'm not…"

Oceanwave gave a grin, halfway between amusement and anger. "Bluepaw, the fact that you don't even look shocked tells me that I am right. Don't deny it."

The ThunderClan apprentice looked downwards, still protesting in her head but knowing it was futile. "Just leave the RiverClan cat, Bluepaw." Said her father quietly, then turned away and padded in the other direction. Just before he disappeared into the stars, he turned around and mewed, "Oh, and make sure that Spottedkit becomes medicine cat."

Bluepaw awoke, annoyed. First Oceanwave accuses her of breaking the warrior code, and now he's charging her with another task?! How can she control who is medicine cat and who isn't? However, she was quickly shaken out of her thoughts when Regalpaw came in, crying, "Bluepaw, you're finally awake! Great StarClan, we were worried!" He nuzzled his sister's cheek fondly.

"H-Hi, Regalpaw…" mewed Bluepaw, "Why were you worried about me? What happened?"

"You wouldn't wake up for Branchtail's warrior ceremony! We shook you and prodded you and did all we could, but you didn't wake up? All you did was say 'I am not!' in your sleep." He paused, and looked slyly at her. "Not _what?"_

Ignoring the question, Bluepaw exclaimed, "Branch_tail?!"_

Regalpaw nodded his head excitedly. "Goldenstar made him into a warrior! The lucky little mouse! It's because he did so well in that battle, you know, the one _we _ran away from?"

Bluepaw nodded guiltily. "Anyways," continued Regalpaw, "He says he wants to see us both. Sounds important. You know Branchtail, he won't say anything unless it's important."

"R-Right…" mewed Bluepaw, almost in a trance. It was like she hadn't been asleep for only sunrise, but for a whole moon!

The two apprentices made their way across the camp, and across the forest, until they came to the great Owl-Tree. "Why does Branchpaw—er, tail, want to meet us so far out here?" asked Bluepaw, suddenly irritable, for the walking reminded her of her dream.

"Because I'm leaving…" Both cats spun around as their quieter brother padded up to them. His amber eyes shone in the sunlight. Bluepaw noticed that he looked older, as if being a warrior, for only a few hours even, had changed him somehow. "I don't like the life of a warrior. Too much fighting and running… you know from our nursery days that I was never cut out for this. I'm going to become a loner."

Bluepaw was shocked, though she had always been closer to Regalpaw than to Branchtail. "B-But…" she stammered.

"You can't go!" cried Regalpaw, "You've just become a warrior! Even if you don't like it, you could be a medicine cat. You could be apprenticed to Dovesong!"

Branchtail seemed to be considering it for a while, and Bluepaw was nervous that he would agree. As much as she wanted him to stay in ThunderClan, she couldn't risk StarClan's will not being done—which meant that Dovesong's apprentice had to be Spottedkit—even if they did accuse her of being in love with a RiverClan tom. "That would be the same, wouldn't it?" she put in, and Branchtail nodded.

"I'd like to say goodbye to you, and tell the same to Sunpelt." He explained. "So, now, goodbye."

He turned away and began padding off. "Goodbye, Branchtail…" mewed Bluepaw softly.

"Goodbye…" repeated Regalpaw, looking devastated,

**Author's note: **Hey guys, sorry this has taken FOREVER to update. School's started, soo… what can I do? I should be back at normal pace soon, once I get used to it.


	12. An Urgent Meeting

**Bathed in Blue**

**Chapter 12: An Urgent Meeting**

In the center of the forest was a clearing, the starry light causing it to be illuminated as if by some sort of ghostly light. All was still, not even a blade of grass moving, as if they were all standing a quiet vigil. The clearing was empty of cats, but within a moment four were standing there: one a gray tom, one a pale she-cat, one a proud tabby tom, and the last a brown tabby she-cat.

"I don't understand why I have to be here, this is _you _ThunderClan mouse-brains' problem!" exclaimed the brown she-cat angrily, her tail lashing from side to side dangerously.

The tabby tom shot her a disapproving look. "Easy, Brownstripe. We're all one Clan now, remember?"

Brownstripe fell silent, but glared at the ground moodily like a reprimanded kit. The tabby tom kept his eyes on her sternly for a moment, then turned to the gray tom. "It was you who called us here, correct, Oceanwave? I have not seen any troubles approaching, but have you had any glimpses of the future?"

Oceanwave snorted, his blue eyes blazing with anger and a disappointment that the others didn't really understand. "I don't have to see the future, Thunderstar, it's plainer than day! _My _daughter, the one destined—"

"I still doubt it's her," scoffed Brownstripe, "The prophesized cat is from 'a Clan in need.' Who could that mean other than a RiverClan cat?!"

This time the last cat spoke up, the pale she-cat. Her face was contorted in fury as she snarled, "Who do you RiverClan murderers think you are, calling yourselves in need?! You are the ones who killed me, a cat from ThunderClan!"

"What?!" roared Brownstripe, "You call _us _murderers?! After what you did to me!?"

"Silence!" yowled Thunderstar, and his deep voice seemed to echo across the clearing. Grassfoot froze in her tracks, staring back nervously at ThunderClan's founder. He lowered his voice, but it was still hinted with the authority he had used to lead his Clans moons ago. "Grassfoot, Brownstripe, your murders are still being solved. Whether it was committed by the two Clans as you say it was, we will find out."

Both cats bowed their heads to him respectfully, but they were still fuming under their calm facades. "As I was saying," continued Oceanwave curtly as if nothing had happened, "Bluepaw is falling in love with Oakpaw! Of RiverClan! Th-That's completely against the warrior code!"

Grassfoot nodded sagely, "I could kind of tell… watching her. You know, during the last Gathering…" She looked down, blushing. "I… wanted to see how Whitestorm was doing. So I watched them for a bit, and, well…" She shrugged. "I could tell! He… stopped one of the other apprentices from attacking her."

Thunderstar nodded, though his expression was unreadable. "Against the warrior code indeed, but… Oceanwave, I think you should let the two cats work it out on their own. Not all good decisions in a cat's life should come from StarClan, you know."

"Hm…" The gray tom deflated a bit, losing most of his fury in the process as it transformed into a long, tired sigh. "I suppose you're right, Thunderstar, but… I can't just sit back and watch this happen to my own daughter!"

Grassfoot looked at him shyly before speaking up. "You're talking like it's a curse, or her impending death," she pointed out. "Am I the only one that thinks it's a bit romantic? I know it's against the warrior code, but…" She turned her pleading eyes towards Thunderstar. "It doesn't seem fair! It's not their fault! They shouldn't… they shouldn't have to go through this! Never be able to be with their only loves, never be able to..." Her voice cracked suddenly, and she turned down to the earth miserably, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Oceanwave smiled for the first time in the day, moving closer to Grassfoot comfortingly. "Don't worry about Whitestorm," he meowed gently, "Eventually he'll join you, and you must know that he feels the same way about you as you do about him."

Grassfoot looked up at his wise face, then turned away with a sob and ran off into the forest without another word, her tail hanging limply to the ground in shame. The group of cats was silent for a moment, then Brownstripe spoke up wryly. "Being the only non-ThunderClan cat here, may I ask what that was about?"

"She lost her mate, Whitestorm, when she died," mewed Thunderstar quietly.

"Actually, they weren't even mates yet." Corrected Oceanwave, "I think that's what's she's so upset about."

"Ah," replied Brownstripe, "Well, then, I almost feel sorry for her. Lucky for me I didn't get far enough along in my life to meet my own soul mate!" She let out a bitter _mrrow _of laughter.

Thunderstar sighed, his eyes fixed on the ground. "Yes, my own mate died in that great battle that started the Clans… but it all worked out, for now we're both in StarClan." He suddenly turned serious. "Oceanwave, yes, I would say to leave Bluepaw alone and let her decide for herself what to do."

Oceanwave nodded, and so did Brownstripe. "I barely knew Oakpaw, but I know he is loyal," she mewed, "I trust he will make the right choice in the end."

"Very well then, I will see you both later," mewed Thunderstar, "Goodbye for now."

And with that he disappeared into the forest, and the other two cats soon followed. 


End file.
